7 Easy Ways to Maintain Your Healthy Lifestyle on a Cruise

Seven easy ways to stay active, eat right and maintain your healthy lifestyle while on a cruise vacation. The second in a series of posts about my recent Western Caribbean cruise.

Last month my husband and I went on a Western Caribbean Cruise aboard the Crown Princess. Since I love to travel and travel frequently, I am always looking for ways to maintain my healthy lifestyle while away.

If you think it’s impossible to eat well and stay active while on a tropical vacation, I’ve got news for you: that couldn’t be further from the truth! In fact, here are seven easy ways to stay on track with your health goals while cruising.

Take a Fitness Class: Do you love taking fitness classes as much as I do? Well you’re in luck because Princess offers a wide variety of fitness classes for all levels in their on board state-of-the-art gym.

Whether you love a good sweat from a cycle class or want to build muscle and tone in a TRX class, there’s truly something for everyone. They even offer Zumba which is held in the dance club with all of your favorite songs blasting through the stereo system! For a less intense workout, yoga and stretch classes are great options as well.

Healthy Options at the Buffet: If you’ve never cruised with Princess before, you might be curious about the healthy food options at the buffet. While there certainly are no shortage of indulgences like waffles, pancakes and pastries, there are just as many nutritious offerings to choose from. Most mornings I enjoyed a hearty bowl of oats topped with cinnamon, walnuts and banana slices.

For lunch, I always made it a rule to fill up on a large salad before going back for a second plate at the buffet. If I did go back, I would often choose between various lean protein options (seafood, chicken, pork tenderloin, etc.) and vegetables such as Indian curries, roasted veggies, or a vegetable based soup.

Indulge in Self Care: As two busy parents of little ones, it’s very rare that my husband and I have more than an hour or so to ourselves on any given day. To celebrate our first kid-free vacation in over 7 years, we took advantage of the on ship spa, Lotus Spa, and indulged in a little self care.

From massages to acupuncture to facials to body wraps, we are always blown away by the high level service and knowledge of the spa staff. The spa is a huge reason why we always #ComeBackNew from our cruises with princess.

Enjoy a Meal in the Dining Room: If you know that you have a harder time controlling yourself at the buffet, I have great news: Princess offers a dining room option for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

By ordering off a menu, you can select healthier options without being tempted by endless trips past the pancake station. As an added bonus, the dishes are already pre-portioned making it easier to avoid over eating.

Active Excursions: Booking active excursions is a great way to stay moving throughout your cruise. On our recent voyage, we ventured off to Tulum, Mexico to explore the Mayan Ruins. In Alaska, we went on an ATV adventure through the Tongass National Forest in Ketchikan. From snorkeling to hiking to swimming and beyond, there are endless ways to explore a new destination while burning calories at the same time.

Personal Training & Nutrition Workshops: If you prefer one-to-one coaching in the gym, I highly recommend signing up for a personal training session. The trainers will get to know your fitness experience and will customize your workout specifically to your needs. In addition, be sure to check out the various nutrition workshops that are offered throughout the cruise. They are free of charge and super informative.

10,000 Steps a Day: One aspect of cruising that I love most is the fact that it’s EASY to get in your 10,000 steps a day. Often times we would take stairs to get to our next spot or we would find ourselves on the opposite end of the ship from where we needed to be, making it easy to get those steps in. In fact, most days we got in between 15,000-17,000 steps simply from exploring the large ship, walking around various destinations, going on excursions, etc. No matter how you slice it: getting 10,000 steps a day is way more fun on vacation than home on your treadmill.

What are your favorite ways to stay active and eat right on a cruise? I’d love to hear your tips. Stay tuned for the third and final post in my series about our recent Western Caribbean. I can’t wait to tell you about Roatan, Honduras!

Your passport is waiting.

Disclosure: Princess Cruise Line hosted us during our recent Western Caribbean cruise. While I have been compensated to write this post, all thoughts are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Lemon Bowl possible.

About Liz Della Croce

Liz is the founder and creator of The Lemon Bowl. With an emphasis on healthy eating and living, Liz’s recipes and food photography have been featured in various publications including the cover of Women’s World magazine, Good Housekeeping, Shape, Real Simple, Cosmopolitan, Food Network Blog, Huffington Post, TODAY Food, Foodgawker and The Cooking Channel. Read More…

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Full disclosure, I am a weirdo who goes on Disney cruises without kids so I’m not sure how pricing works with kids, but when I was looking at prices for my husband and I a couple years ago, the Disney cruise was about twice as much as a comparable Carnival cruise. What you are getting for that price is better food, slightly larger rooms, way better entertainment, a day at their private island which is the best place, etc. And being Disney, the service is unparalleled and the kids areas and activities are incredible. There is plenty to do for adults (wine tastings, mixology classes, the rainforest room in the spa) so you can avoid the Mickey stuff for the most part while your kids are off having a blast without you! Haha I have had great times on other cruises but Disney just does everything better. We are going again in May (with my parents, brother, and sister in law no kids!) and I can’t wait!